Music Theory in Seventeenth-Century England

Rebecca Herissone

Description

The fundamental changes that resulted in the development of the Baroque style around the turn of the seventeenth century also had a profound effect on music theory. As musicians began to adopt new approaches to composition, authors gradually became aware that the theories on which they relied, some of which dated back to medieval times, were largely obsolete. Thus, over the course of the seventeenth century, there occurred a complete transformation in almost every aspect of theory. Nowhere was this metamorphosis clearer than in England where there was much more willingness to accept and encourage new theoretical ideas than in the rest of Europe. By tracing the progress of both rudimentary and more advanced compositional theories in English treatises, Herissone
provides a detailed and comprehensive commentary on musical developments during the period.

Music Theory in Seventeenth-Century England

Rebecca Herissone

Reviews and Awards

"Her meticulous account is unusually lucid and, considering the potential dryness of the subject, quite lively. There is no comparable account in the English language that offers such a comprehensive and detailed overview of English music theory from the seventeenth century, and her book will surely become the standard reference work on this subject."--Journal of the American Musicological Society

Music Theory in Seventeenth-Century England is a through, path-breaking study that both recontextualizes the broad sweep of music theory in England from circa 1592 until circa 1730 and reestablishes the importance of early modern England to the history of European music theory...The book is both through and extremely well-organized."--Renaissance QuarterlyR